I just found out today that my 6 month old puppy has hip dysplasia. I was told that there is a surgery that can be performed, but know nothing about it.
Does anyone have information or advice for me. I am also interested in alternatives, such as homeopathic remedies that can at least make her feel better or strengthen her joints.
Feel free to email me suggestions as well.

how did you find out? Did they do X rays? I don't know much about it myself but I worry all the time about my dogs

I would definately look into homeopathic alternatives. I lost a dog to the vets before...all they care about is making you buy as much drugs as possible so the dog gets even sicker and then you gotta go out and buy more.. I don't trust vets these days ...had to put my dog to sleep at 7 years of age...

I would use alternative medicine and sound nutritional support for as long as possible before considering surgery. If surgery becomes necessary, do your homework, find out how many of these surgeries - and how successfully - your vet has done. You might want to ask for a referral to a vet who specializes in this type of treatment. Another alternative, if you're lucky enough to live near a veterinary college, is to check there. Sometimes you get the best care from a teaching hospital.

First, I would like to say how sorry I am to hear about your puppy. I can imagine it has to be very hard. As for alternative medicine, I can say this...my parents had a dog, a cocker spaniel, who was paralyzed from his mid back down to his back legs. He was hit by a car and the vet wanted to put him to sleep. My parents said no and the vet said he would be dead in a year. They changed vets many, many times who said the same thing. Sixteen years later he was still going strong. They just lost him about a month ago. Anyway, my point is, they spent a lot of time researching alternative medicines. They tried anything and everything and even acupuncture. Some would say that the alternatives had nothing to do with helping him, but for a dog that was diagnosed to live a year and went on to live 16 of them I would say it didn't hurt. I wouldn't rule out surgery for your puppy but it can't hurt to, get a second opinion and to try other things first, as long as he is not in pain. Good luck to you and I hope it all works out for the best. You have my prayers.

i'm really sorry that you're having to deal with this so early in your pup's life! i hope it works out well for you.

i've had experience with a vet that was like ones described in pitbulliest reply. we had to put my collie dog down about three years ago, she was 10 and had a lack of white blood cells. she'd gotten sick in the fall and winter but made a very hopeful recovery for a month or so, and then made a major decline and we had to put her to sleep. i still think that was one of the saddest days of my life. anyways so we had all these blood samples taken and she had some kind of injection to try and boost the white blood cell count and it'd been done multiple times until our preferred vet gave my mom a heads up that the end was near. my mom took her to the vet a few days later and another vet there did another analysis costing us around 100 bucks after we requested her not to and we had already known this wasn't going to help our dog. now we don't schedule check ups until we can get our preferred vet. it just shows that there's always some ruthless people out there who just want your money instead of what's best for your animal. anyways, i hope this situation works out for you and i would suggest getting multiple opinions- it can't hurt.

this is a question kind of off topic, but still dealing with hip dysplasia. i thought i heard that it was common for goldens to develop this... has anybody else heard this or was it just me? thanks

Sorry to hear about your pup with hip dysplasia. There are a couple of products that can help him live a comfortable, pain-free life. You didn't mention the breed or size of your pup, but you should definitely give him all the nutritional support possible. Go to: www.nzymes.com . Their Treats or Granules are naturally anti-inflamatory, you should see results within a week. They also have a list of recommended foods that will provide him optimal nutrition. Another great product is Flexicose; www.flexicose.com . This is probably the best Glucosamine product on the market. Between these two products and a good quality food, He could still lead a happy,active life. Of course, if his case is severe, surgery may be inevitable. In any case, the above mentioned products will speed his healing process and give him the support he needs anyway.

If you go to the www.offa.org it has soom helpful suggestions with dealing with HD. They are the ones that have all the current info on HD because they (and Pennhip) are the 2 main hip registrars in the states. Hope this helps.
BTW if you get your pup from a reputable breeder they are usually garunteed against these genetic diseases.